


Outdo

by diceysmiles



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Politics, Canon, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Family, Gen, One Shot, Original Character Death(s), Sorry Not Sorry, Wishful Thinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 23:51:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11115498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diceysmiles/pseuds/diceysmiles
Summary: Trunks goes to the past to fulfill his father's dying wish. Although Trunks had never met Vegeta, he has a recording that motivates him to go back to save Goku and defeat those who plague the Earth with fear. But Trunks is resolved to take care of another matter as well, he will do whatever he can to save his father.





	Outdo

" _My son, if you are listening to this my time has come to an end."_  

Trunks was standing on a cliff looking out into the vast expanse.

" _The world changed from one moment to the next."_

Trunks looked up into the sky watching the clouds roll in.

" _We weren't ready to defend mankind from itself."_

Trunks felt a raindrop hit him on the cheek. He took a deep breath. He could smell more than the humidity in the air. He could see beyond the rain clouds. Not even the rain that began to fall violently could blur his vision.

" _We were too busy saving the world from monsters that we couldn't see what this man had done."_

It was hope.

Trunks opened a small case that he kept in his jacket pocket. He looked at the newest capsule his mother had added a couple days prior and chose it. He clicked the button and threw it.

" _He spread fear and hate throughout the world."_

Trunks stared at the newly minted time machine and fisted his hands. Determination filled his eyes as he walked up to it.

" _Because of this one man, people became desperate. Two beings came forth. They were insatiable and accursed. However monstrous, they were not what brought mankind to its knees."_

Trunks wrote the word 'hope!' on the side of the machine. He opened the panel and climbed in. He turned it on and set the dials. He looked at the current date and set the dials to the appropriate age where he should arrive in the past.

" _When men have lost hope; when men don't have anyone to turn to; when men believe that death is the only answer that is when a single man can become mighty. Because no matter how strong I became I could not save them from themselves. From a single man. Of which two diabolical beings came to exist."_

Trunks listened as his father struggled to gain his composure before he began to speak again.

" _My friend lost his life right before he was needed most. And I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried, fill his shoes. Men had no reason to listen to me. It didn't matter that I was once a prince. It didn't matter how powerful I had become. I wasn't one of them. But I chose to stay with them. I fought for them. And if you are listening to this, my boy, I have died for them. For you. For my family. For our home. Because my friend wanted to save them. To save his own family. To save all his friends. Earth was his home as it is yours. So go back. Go back to warn him. Go back to save him. Because he is the only one who can save humanity."_

Trunks turned off the recording that his father had left him before he died. He had heard stories about the great Prince Vegeta from his mother. But never had he believed that there was anyone stronger than him. Perhaps it was the way a child should see his father but Trunks knew that this mission was something he should not take lightly.

Bulma worked hard from the moment Vegeta passed away to create a time machine because it was her husband's dying wish. Trunks would not let his father down. He would go to the past and find Son Goku. He would tell this person _—_ his father's friend and his mentor's father _—_ exactly what Vegeta and Bulma told him to say. So he clung to the hope his mother and father instilled in him. Because it may have taken one man to make mankind crumble in his age but there was a Saiyan that was raised on Earth in the past who would make certain that what this man did never came to pass.

With a push of a button Trunks set off to his one and only destination: Son Goku.

* * *

Trunks had heard plenty of stories growing up. Mostly from his mother because he didn't remember his father. The only memory he had of his father was of watching his back. His mother called out to his father to inform him that Krillin was there to see him. And it was the way he remembered the man. Walking out of their front door to follow a comrade to an early demise.

Vegeta had passed away when Trunks was very young. Too young to remember him. Gohan _—_ his mentor and friend _—_ was the closest entity he had that he could compare to having a father. Gohan was like him in many ways. They were both half Saiyan and half human. They both had powers that they used to protect the little lives that still existed. Their existence was measured not yearly nor monthly but daily. If they survived one more day, they could protect one more person. If they could survive one more day, perhaps they could get just a little bit stronger. And they needed to become stronger so that one day soon they could finally rid the world of the two androids that plague it.

But unfortunately, Trunks was the only one left to fend them off. Other than the small number of humans that still managed to survive, Trunks was all alone. His mother had passed away just before he went back to the past. He was nervous about possibly seeing her again. And he believed that it was best that he stay clear from her or his father. So he chose a location where he knew Goku would arrive that was away from the city and anyone else.

Trunks was excited to be meeting a man that he almost felt like he knew. His mother and Gohan had told him so much about Goku. Because Gohan was still very young when his father had passed away the second time it was his mother who filled in most details.

Trunks shook his head. He wondered what it would've been like to have Dragon Balls available to him in his age. He might have been raised by his father. He would've met Goku first hand. And he wouldn't have spent his entire life in hiding or fighting. He wouldn't have experienced loss. But everything he had gone through had made him the person he was and he couldn't say that he regretted his life. Because no matter how terrible it was at times, his mother taught him how to live and cherish every precious moment. He wasn't about to throw his life away and die a foolish death. He still had a few things to accomplish. One of which he would be able to check off his list in a few more hours.

Trunks was willing to wait for Goku to arrive but then he felt Frieza's presence. And he couldn't ignore what Frieza and King Cold were saying. Especially not the part about killing the Earthlings. So right as Frieza's men agreed to do as they were told, Trunks decided it was time for him to make his entrance.

Frieza and the others looked at him incredulously. From the looks of it, they didn't know what to make of him. But after Frieza sized him up, he smirked.

"What do want, earthling?" Frieza said simply to humor him.

"I'm here to kill you," Trunks said matter of factly.

Their eyes opened dramatically.

"Here to kill us? Ha!" Frieza said sarcastically. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Yes...you're Frieza, aren't you?" Trunks said confidently as he stared at the short alien down with a prominent frown.

Again, Frieza had a hard time believing what he was hearing. This insignificant earthling knew who he was and yet...wasn't afraid of him? Well, he would show him exactly who he was.

"Deal with him," Frieza told his men with abhorrence. He didn't feel like squashing a bug. That was why he had men. It was their job to deal with pests.

Frieza's men were brimming with confidence when they used their scouters to feel his power level. One of them stepped up to attack but Trunks took him down easily. This made the others upset and they decided to charge at him recklessly. Trunks dealt with each and every single one of them swiftly and easily.

"Ho, ho, he's not bad," Frieza's father said highly amused.

"Heh, heh, for an earthling," Frieza said in agreement.

"You're next," Trunks said a voice laced with venom.

The two aliens didn't take his words seriously and began to make light of the situation. Frieza even boasted about how easy it would be to take Trunks down. But Trunks didn't care about their words and gave them both fair warning. He was very clear when he stated that he would attack at full power unlike what Goku had done in Namek.

"I will show no mercy," Trunks told Frieza assuredly.

Frieza thought it was ironic that this being in front of him was an associate of the Super Saiyan. Even so, he paid him no mind. But Trunks made sure to point out that the only reason he had stepped in _—_ regardless of never having met Goku before _—_ was because he couldn't stand by while Frieza threatened human lives.

"For us, getting rid of trash like you is a piece of cake," Frieza said cooly.

"No, you're wrong," Trunks said straightforwardly and then he smirked. "Son Goku isn't the only Super Saiyan, I am one too."

"What?" Frieza said in shock.

Both Frieza and his father watched Trunks transform into a Super Saiyan.

"Oh, my god..." Frieza said completely out of sorts.

"The brat's one of them too..." King Cold said in disbelief.

"You have a death wish, don't you?!" Trunks said making sure to be completely powered up.

"The one with the death wish is you!" Frieza said and rushed at Trunks with an arm extended. Frieza didn't wait, he sent a blast right at Trunks.

Trunks easily dodged the attack and readied one of his own.

"Frieza, you did it! I knew he was no match for us," King Cold said proudly.

But before Frieza could respond, Trunks called out to him.

"Frieza!"

Trunks sent a blast right at Frieza. But Frieza and his father both jumped into the air and out of the way. Only to end up right in Trunks' path. Frieza couldn't do anything as Trunks' sword sliced right through him, from his head all the way down until he was split into equal halves. But Trunks didn't stop there, he kept slicing until Frieza was in pieces and then he proceeded to blast every single piece so that nothing but ash remained.

King Cold got over his shock of his son's death quickly and began to negotiate with Trunks. He offered him a place right by his side so that Trunks could rule over any planet he wished. Trunks showed his distaste for the offer with a sneer and said in so many words that he was not interested. But King Cold wasn't deterred by that and asked Trunks to allow him use of the sword. Trunks smirked and passed the sword over and King Cold smiled in glee. He mentioned that it was because of the sword that Trunks was able to defeat Frieza so easily.

"What are you trying to say?" Trunks said only to play along.

"Hmm, it seems that without this sword you definitely...cannot beat me!" King Cold said and rushed at Trunks with the sword in hand.

Trunks blocked the attack by grabbing onto the blade with his hand and then outstretched his other hand.

"Wait!" King Cold said desperately.

But Trunks didn't care to wait and blasted King Cold with little space between them. Because the attack range was so short, King Cold wasn't able to dodge and was easily defeated by Trunks. But Trunks didn't stop there, he made sure there was nothing left of the aliens. He even destroyed the ship they had come in.

After Trunks was finished destroying all vestiges of Frieza and his men, he powered down and placed his sword back in its sheath. It was at that point that he sensed he was not alone. He looked over his shoulder and saw the Z fighters—his father and mother among the group. He figured there was no point trying to hide his person but he would make sure to keep his identity from them. He decided to greet them with a small smile since he could sense their fear and apprehension towards him.

"I'm on my way to greet Son Goku! Would you like to join me?"

"What?!"

Trunks simply looked at them without answering. He figured that there was nothing he could do to get them to trust him other than showing them that he wasn't going to attack.

He tried once more.

"He'll arrive near here..." Trunks said to them loudly since they were still quite a distance away. He resisted the urge to shrug. "Follow me!"

After waiting for a beat or two, Trunks turned away from the group and lead them to where Goku would land. He was a little excited to see them all since he had heard so many stories about them. And to see Gohan so young was actually refreshing.

But he had to swallow hard to temper his emotions.

Trunks smiled to himself when he felt them following him and then he proceeded to check the coordinates. When he noticed he was in the right place, he slowed down and landed easily.

Trunks kept his back to the group when they landed behind him. He noticed that his father was the one in the lead but decided not to make anything of it. Instead, he pulled out his case that held the capsules and chose the mini fridge that he was certain was filled with cold drinks. He felt like he could have a sip of something since his mouth had gone dry.

"Watch out!" Yamcha said a little wary. "He just took out something."

"Son Goku won't arrive for another three hours," Trunks responded easily not taking offense to Yamcha's warning. He bent down and opened the mini fridge so that the others could see what was inside. "There are some cold refreshments in here. Help yourselves."

"I'll take one," Bulma said quickly.

"Me too!" Gohan added cheerfully.

Trunks smiled encouragingly.

Gohan and Bulma walked up to the fridge.

"We can pick out whichever flavor we want," Gohan said and reached in for a drink.

"So, is this a specially made fridge?" Bulma wondered out loud as she looked the mini fridge over.

"Hey, leave some for me," Krillin said and walked over as well.

Trunks felt Bulma's stare on him while he took a sip of his drink and looked over at her, meeting her gaze.

"Have we met?" Bulma said curiously as she eyed him. She couldn't get over the sense of familiarity the boy exuded.

"No," Trunks said quickly and averted his gaze.

"How do you know my dad?" Gohan asked ever so curiously.

"Well, I've only heard of him but have never actually met him," Trunks responded simply.

"So, how do you know that Goku will arrive in three hours?" Krillin said with a tilt of his head.

"Uh," Trunks stammered and decided it was best not to give them any information that could clue them in about his real identity. "Sorry, but I can't tell you that."

"Why not?" Vegeta demanded.

Trunks looked at him a bit surprised because of the tone he used but then averted his gaze.

"Who are you and where did you get that power you used so easily?"

"Sorry, I can't answer that either," Trunks said with his head down in shame. If he could tell Vegeta that he was his son, he would. He had always wanted to meet his father and now was his chance except that they had to remain strangers.

Coming back to the past would have been easier without any of these witnesses.

The silence that followed was deafening. No one knew what to say. And Vegeta was getting angrier by the second.

"Stop messing around. The only Saiyans that exist are me, Kakarot and his half-earthling son…" Vegeta said in a severe voice and gestured to Gohan. "Which is this brat right here. Besides us, there is no possibility for another Saiyan to exist."

"But he did become a Super Saiyan to defeat Frieza. We can't deny that," Gohan said carefully.

"And all Saiyans have black hair!" Vegeta said ignoring Gohan's comment.

"Oh!" Bulma said as she looked the lad over and took in his lavender hair. Then she noticed his jacket. "How come you're wearing the Capsule Corp insignia, are you one of our employees?"

"No…" Trunks said looking at her sideways. He was sweating bullets. The questions were coming at him left and right.

"Even that's a secret?" Bulma said amused. "Can you reveal your name and age?"

"I can't give you my name but… I'm seventeen."

"You can't even tell us your name? How strange," Tien said as he looked at the lad.

"Why all the secrets anyway?" Yamcha said not liking the fact that the young man couldn't tell them anything about himself.

"Guys, don't ask so many questions…" Bulma said suddenly feeling defensive. "You'll embarrass him. And remember, he saved us all not to mention the planet."

No one said another word as they took in Bulma's proclamation. It was true, the young man had saved them but they couldn't quite put a finger on what they were feeling. They simply felt uneasy. Was there some sort of catch to him saving them?

After a while, everyone decided to sit down to wait. Gohan began to chit chat with Piccolo and Bulma with Krillin. Before long, they were all talking to one another.

It was a strange feeling for Trunks being in the past. His father was alive, his mother was young, Gohan was more of a kid than he ever was at that age. What's more, the way his mother and Krillin spoke so noisily with everyone it was like they were a family.

For Trunks, it was all new. And he realized that he was smiling. It surprised him that he was smiling because he hadn't smiled since Gohan was killed by the androids three years back. Bulma worried about Trunks, after said event, and she tried to joke with him to make him laugh. Trunks tried very hard to laugh, but it was no use. People who carry a heavy sadness in their chest cannot laugh. That sadness was all Trunks knew. And he came to believe that he would never laugh again.

But at the moment, he was smiling. The past was incredible. It was a world where good friends spoke freely under a blue sky. He didn't want this past to end up like his future. And he truly wished that he was making a change for the better.

Trunks looked over and noticed Vegeta staring right at him. He couldn't help but look at the man in return. He had never seen his father in person before so he couldn't look away. He could see every description of his mother in the person Vegeta was; strong, proud, stern, and seemingly lonely.

To his surprise, from behind Vegeta had even looked like the father from his only memory.

"What are you staring at?" Vegeta said feeling uneasy about the boy looking at him without regard.

Trunks swallowed hard so that he wouldn't unthinkingly reply with: "Because you're my father…"

"If you really are a Saiyan, like you say you are, then I shouldn't surprise you."

"Sorry," Trunks said with a prominent blush and turning away immediately. His father sure did have a temper.

"Annoying jerk..." Vegeta said without taking his gaze off of Trunks.

After some time, Trunks checked the time and saw that it was time for Goku to arrive. He stood up and let everyone know. But it was for not since Gohan and Vegeta had already sensed Goku's ki coming closer. The others began to feel Goku's power as well but they weren't certain if it was him.

"It's dad! It's his ki," Gohan said with so much certainty that the others couldn't disagree with him.

Only moments later did they see a small pod _—_ a spaceship _—_ coming closer and land with a resounding crash.

"Over there!" Gohan said and they all rushed to the site of impact.

They arrived to see the space pod in the center of a large crater. Soon after, the pod opened and Goku stepped out. He was surprised to see everyone there waiting for him. Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan began to cheer his return.

"What are you guys doing here?" Goku asked thoughtfully. "And how did you know I would arrive today?"

"He told us," Bulma said gesturing to Trunks with a wide smile.

"Dad, you know him, don't you?" Gohan said wanting to be certain.

"Uh...who is he?" Goku said as he looked at the young man. He had certainly never met him before.

"Er...what?"

"You really don't know him?" Bulma said feeling a bit disappointed.

"Um, no," Goku said with a slight shake of his head.

Bulma wasn't deterred, however, much to Trunks chagrin. She explained to Goku that the young man knew the exact time and location of his arrival.

Goku was even more surprised at that revelation. He thought it was weird but wasn't suspicious about it. Then he began to tell them that Frieza had discovered him and landed on Earth before him. He couldn't help asking who had defeated Frieza since he had felt an immense power and believed it to be Piccolo or Vegeta. But Piccolo explained that it was the very same young man and revealed that he was also a Super Saiyan.

"A Super Saiyan?" Goku said looking at Trunks with surprise coloring his face. "And you're so young too. I had no idea there were any other Saiyans!"

"It's impossible!" Vegeta cut in aggravated. "Besides the two of us, there can't be any other Saiyans."

"Oh," Goku said regarding Vegeta and then shrugged. "Who cares about the details? He is a Super Saiyan!"

"You've always been so careless, Goku," Bulma said with a shake of her head.

But Trunks didn't mind that they were questioning his heritage. He had a mission and he needed to complete it.

"Son Goku, sir, I have a few things to tell you," Trunks said respectfully but made sure that Goku took his words seriously.

"Why can't we know what you have to say?" Yamcha said annoyed.

"Sorry guys…" Goku said waving Yamcha's comment away and made sure no one else protested. "Please, wait here for a moment."

Trunks went on ahead and Goku followed close behind. Trunks didn't stop until he was certain that they were out of earshot from everyone else.

"I should thank you," Goku said with a smile. "For taking care of the bad guys. I really should have finished them off when I was back on Namek."

"Actually, I didn't doubt that you could defeat them easily," Trunks told him sincerely. "But since there wasn't any time, I had to act."

Goku found the situation amusing. He told Trunks that he had sensed Frieza's ship and knew he would arrive at a quick pace but that he was about to make his move when he felt someone step in to destroy them. Trunks was annoyed about that and told Goku how late he would arrive. Goku chuckled and said that he had learned a new technique with the Yadratians that would allow him to move instantaneously. Trunks was surprised to hear about that. Goku winked at him and told him the name of the technique.

"Aw man, I accidentally changed history," Trunks said feeling embarrassed. "I actually wanted to meet with you privately but I ended up running into everyone…"

"History?" Goku said raising his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"Answer me this first," Trunks said suddenly serious. "Can you become a Super Saiyan by your own will?"

"I couldn't at first but I've managed to control my power."

"Can you…" Trunks looked at Goku with a slight blush coloring his face, "show me right now?"

Goku didn't think he could be taken by surprise again but he was certainly mistaken.

"Please…"

"Okay," Goku said and took a firm stance.

And with minimal effort, Goku powered up and changed into a Super Saiyan.

"How's this?"

"Thank you very much…" Trunks said with a bright smile. "You look just like me when I become Super Saiyan."

"And now, what do you want to do?"

"Well, I can become a Super Saiyan too!" Trunks didn't waste any time and transformed.

"I see what you mean," Goku told him. "It is very similar."

"Sorry," Trunks said suddenly.

Goku replied with a charming, "Eh?"

Trunks attacked Goku with his sword but stopped before he made contact. Goku frowned but other than that didn't make any move to stop Trunks' actions. When Trunks question why Goku hadn't tried to block the attack, Goku smirked and said that he felt no animosity in him. Goku was positive that Trunks would stop. Trunks accepted the answer and told him that he wouldn't stop with his next attack. Goku held up one finger and was able to hold off Trunks' sword attacks with it easily. Trunks made his attacks faster and Goku did the same with his finger. Trunks grinned and powered down at the same time that he sheathed his sword.

"You really live up to your reputation," Trunks said happily. "And you're a lot stronger than I thought you were. And this sword just cut through Frieza like butter."

"Well, you didn't really come at me with ill intention," Goku said humbly.

Trunks recognized that but he was certain that Goku was stronger than his mother or Gohan had described.

"I'm about to tell you something very important but it's imperative that you not disclose anything I say to anyone. It is only for you to remember."

"I can assure you that I won't say a word," Goku said knowing that the young man was very serious.

"You might not believe me, but…" Trunks said and paused hoping against hope that Goku believed his every word. "I came here in a time machine from twenty years in the future."

"Twenty years? From now?" Goku said in shock.

"Yes," Trunks said and pressed on. "My name is Trunks… I have Saiyan blood because I'm the son of Vegeta who's standing over there."

"Huh?!" Goku said jumping out of his skin. "You're Vegeta's son?!"

Trunks didn't answer, he was too busy looking at his father again.

"Y-you're really serious, aren't you? Vegeta's son, wow," Goku said taking in Trunks appearance more carefully.

"Yes, that's right," Trunks said feeling very much like he was under the microscope.

"Now that you mention it, you really do look like him," Goku said and looked over at Vegeta who was standing on the other side of the crater Goku had created when he landed. "He'll be your father…"

"I'll be born about two and a half years from now," Trunks said filling in the silence that ensued from his declaration. "But that's not what I need to tell you. There is a more important matter at hand."

"Uh, okay. Well, shoot," Goku said looking at him carefully so as not to miss another word.

Trunks then explained that in three years time, a pair was going to appear. He told Goku the exact time and location. Then elaborated on the sheer amount of power the two would have. He proceeded to explain who their creator was who happened to be a part of the Red Ribbon Army that Goku had defeated when he was younger. But Dr. Gero had survived and continued his research in secret. Then he told Goku about the situation back in his own age.

"But why are you fighting them on your own?" Goku asked curiously. "What about your comrades?"

"Twenty years from now, I'm the only warrior left."

Trunks proceeded to explain what happened when the androids showed up and the Z fighters faced them. Trunks was very sad when he told Goku that the only one who managed to survive the androids in the past _—_ because he managed to escape them time and time again _—_ was Gohan. Then he told Goku how Gohan was the one who taught him how to fight but that three years prior, Gohan had fallen to the androids as well. He explained that there was no way for him to revive anyone because the Dragon Balls disappeared upon Piccolo's death.

"In the future, the world is pure hell," Trunks told him and was overcome by frustration. "Damn! They're just too strong!"

"But wait a minute, what about me?" Goku said not understanding why he was never mentioned. "Was I killed too?"

"You never faced the androids," Trunks told him solemnly. "You died from a terrible disease before the fight."

Trunks explained the details of the disease to Goku and told him that not even senzu beans were effective to save him.

"Damn! Am I going to die? That's not fair.." Goku said and pouted with his hands tightened into fists. "I would've wanted to give them a good fight."

Trunks was surprised to hear that proclamation.

"You actually want to fight them?" Trunks said questioning Goku's sanity. "Aren't you afraid of them?"

"Of course, I'm scared," Goku said annoyed. "But I want to see how strong they are."

"You are without a doubt one hundred percent a Saiyan warrior," Trunks said with a smirk. "Mom and Gohan were right…you _are_ worthy of great respect."

Trunks reached into his pocket and pulled out a vile. He handed it over to Goku and explained that it was the cure for the disease that would afflict him and kill him. He said that there wasn't a cure for that specific disease until the future but that it would save Goku from dying.

Goku took the medicine with great cheer. And then wondered out loud why Trunks hadn't told him he had the cure before. Trunks told him that he was taking a risk by changing history. But that his mother worked very hard to build the time machine not only for Goku to receive the medicine but with the hope that Goku would know what to do about what was coming.

"Your mom knows me personally?"

"Yes, she knows you very well," Trunks said with a slight nod.

"And she makes machines…?" Goku said putting two and two together. "It can't be that your mom is…?"

"Yep, she's right over there."

"Ahhh! No way!" Goku said jumping back. "That is very surprising. I thought for sure she'd marry Yamcha… But, Vegeta…" Goku blew out a breath.

"According to my mom, Yamcha didn't want to commit so she dumped him," Trunks said with a prominent blush. "She noticed how lonely dad was but...they didn't get married."

"I don't really get it," Goku said not being able to picture Bulma and Vegeta together. "But I guess it is possible. Heh."

"Dad died when I was still very young so this is the very first time that I meet him," Trunks said sounding a lot younger than he had until that moment.

"Oh! But, please, you can't say a word! If they find out, they might not get together and then I won't exist!"

"I know, I know," Goku said placatingly. He knew how stubborn those two were.

Trunks then proceeded to say his goodbyes. He let Goku know that he wanted to go back to see his mother _—_ he would simply have to arrive prior to the attack and prevent her death. Goku was very sincere when he mentioned that he hoped to change Trunks' future. Trunks responded by saying that he would like very much to meet Goku again. Then told him that if he could survive the next three years, he would return for a visit.

"Live!" Goku told him adamantly. "I will be training until then."

And with a thumbs up as a goodbye, Trunks pulled out the correct capsule and released the time machine. He went up into the air quickly but couldn't help circling back around to see the younger versions of his mother and father one more time.

"Dad, you are exactly the way mom described you," Trunks said aloud knowing the others couldn't hear him. "I hope you won't die. And please, get along with mom."

Trunks waved at them and disappeared from view.

* * *

For Trunks when he met Goku for the first time, he realized that Goku was stronger and a more reliable warrior than he had believed.

"Perhaps this person just might change the future."

The light of hope burned in his chest.

Trunks arrived at his own age _—_ the day his mother was killed _—_ in order to stop the attack. He managed to distract the androids so that they wouldn't be anywhere near his mother that particular day. But while he hid from the androids to make his escape, he found an old history book. He flipped through the pages surrounding the age that the androids had appeared.

At first, what Trunks was looking at made absolutely no sense. There was a caricature of an elephant and donkey in battle using their long noses as swords. The donkey wore a red pantsuit and the elephant had what appeared to Trunks as a flyaway combover. The reference to the childhood story was lost to Trunks since he hadn't grown up with fairy tales.

But the words Trunks' father left in the recording ate at him.

Trunks pressed forward looking to understand what the person his father spoke of represented to mankind. It was a simple human. But just as his father had said, this man had become mighty in the hearts of the majority. Many followed him but even those who did _—_ with time _—_ came to understand the fear and desperation of those who had opposed him initially.

Trunks didn't grow up in a world where politics came into play. There was no religion in his world. There were no celebrities. There were no social classes, sexuality, nor race. There existed humans and androids. There was survival and there was death.

Trunks reached the part that talked about the aftermath of the election. There was a data card attached. He placed the data card into a tablet that was nearby. There was a video and it showed clips of newscasters. Trunks watched and heard them speak.

" _Thousands of people had their eyes glued to the TV to follow the election."_

" _You're seeing a woman with her hands clasped over her mouth in disbelief as the winner of the presidency was announced. We feel her pain."_

_A couple embraced in front of the cameras. The woman wiped a tear from her face and the man stroked her hair._

_A man spoke up about the results, "This is scary and troubling."_

" _You don't think there could be so much hate_ _—_ _there_ _is."_

" _What happened? What did we just do?" said a person in a crowd directly to the camera._

" _Everybody is crying."_

" _Decency lost," King Furry said from his hospital bed the next day while a reporter held out a microphone for him. "That is why the earth is in pain."_

" _Earth is in mourning. Earth is in fear."_

" _It's a different Earth now than it was twenty-four hours ago."_

" _You're awake, by the way," a news anchor said to viewers the morning after. "You're not experiencing a terrible, horrible nightmare. You have not died and gone to hell. This is the reality now."_

Trunks turned off the video and flipped the pages of the book. He read about a worldwide protest held by women to advocate human rights and other issues, including women's rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, the natural environment, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, and workers' rights. There was a march that was aimed at the new president immediately following his inauguration, largely due to statements and positions attributed to him regarded by many as anti-women or otherwise offensive. It was the largest single-day demonstration in Earth's history.

Trunks found a page that talked about a crisis where more than twenty million people were facing starvation and famine. A few quotes on the matter read:

" _That is three million people more than in the beginning of the year."_

" _Yet all parties involved are denying access and aid...they must be held accountable for the inevitable famine, unnecessary deaths, and suffering that will follow."_

" _More than one million children are estimated to be acutely malnourished, including almost three hundred thousand children who face imminent risk of death should assistance not be reached in time."_

Trunks read about an immigration ban. About a wall that was built. He read about home raids to eliminate threats that did not exist. The raids were said to be racist. People were losing their jobs. Men were killing their families because they couldn't feed them. More and more people were becoming violent. Friends and neighbors were turning against each other. Churches were being torn down. Camps were formed to house anyone who opposed the president and the new army.

Trunks read about members of the Tricolor Army being beaten and killed if a soldier was caught alone and unaware.

Trunks read about stores being raided for provisions until they were all eventually closed down. No one was willing to keep a business open simply out of fear and the president and the Tricolor Army didn't do anything to help.

As Trunks flipped through the pages of the history book what he read worsened.

Trunks realized that his father had been right. Everything that had happened had begun with a single act that brought fear to many until it spread worldwide. And even the people involved in writing the history book concluded at the end that if money hadn't given a single man so much power, perhaps the world would have had a more promising future.

The worse part about what Trunks had discovered was that all the events took place within a two-year time frame. During which time the Z fighters and his father were busy training in order to fight monsters that were too powerful for mankind and their weapons. They had not realized what was happening in the political sphere nor did they see the fear that had escalated until it had all but crippled what was left of humanity.

Humans themselves had become monsters to one another. Perhaps the androids killing spree was meant to cleanse the world of all its evils. But Dr. Gero didn't count on the androids turning on him and taking matters into their own hands. Because the androids killed without discrimination. They got rid of the monsters within mankind and the innocent as well. They purged the world until all that was left was humans striving to survive and the androids who were hunting them. Men, women, and children had all became equals. They were all prey. They all lived in the same hell.

Trunks now had a new objective. As soon as he had the fuel necessary, he would go back not only to help Goku, Vegeta, and the others face the androids but he would make a quick detour to rid mankind of the man who brought mankind to its knees before the monsters purged the Earth.

Meanwhile, he would use the time to train and to keep his mother safe.

* * *

Upon Trunks return to the past, he found the man that was held accountable for so many atrocities. But it turned out that there was more to this man, he didn't stand alone. However, Trunks had done his research and he found all those responsible for giving this single man power. He didn't need to hack social accounts nor did he have to mess with bank funds, all he had to do was appear before them and rid them from the face of the Earth just as he had done with Frieza, King Cold, and all their subordinates.

Trunks had to be careful because he did not want to go on a rampage and take out more people than necessary. He didn't want to be like the androids and simply kill for pleasure or because he had more power. What he did had a purpose and that was to do what was needed so that humanity could stand on its own two feet once the androids were destroyed.

After a few stops that proved to be fruitful, Trunks made his way to the location where the androids were to appear. But instead of meeting up with the Z fighters, he came upon a destroyed island.

"Dammit! I was too late!" Trunks berated himself. "What in the world happened here?!"

Trunks considered the possibility of going further into the past but he knew that he didn't have enough fuel to do that. Just then he felt a powerful ki and realized someone was fighting somewhere else. He focused on the ki to be sure of the direction he should go and didn't waste any time going there.

Trunks stopped when he noticed a crater. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the head of an android on the ground. It took him by surprise because he didn't recognize it. Because if that was one of the enemies then who were the others fighting? He went towards the ki again and from afar he saw who Piccolo was fighting. He didn't recognize that Android either. He had expected androids Seventeen and Eighteen but this enemy was unknown to Trunks.

Trunks came closer to the Z fighters that had surrounded the Android. But he didn't take his eyes off of it. He vaguely heard Piccolo call him by his name but he was in too much shock about what he was seeing to give it much thought.

"Who's that?" Trunks asked Piccolo. "You've been fighting him, haven't you?"

"What?" he heard his father say. "'Who's that?' It's the Android _you_ told us about!"

"What's going on here?" Trunks said aloud.

"Th-they aren't the androids you warned us about?" Piccolo said in shock.

"Huh?" Gohan said incredulously.

"What do you mean these aren't the ones?" Krillin asked confused.

"That's impossible!" Tien said in outrage.

"So who is _that_?!" Vegeta demanded of Trunks while he pointed at the android in question. "What've you been talking about?"

Trunks simply stared at him without giving him an answer. He wasn't sure what to say because he had no clue what was going on.

"It's no problem!" Krillin said happily. "It just means that it's a different past from the one Trunk's knows. It's simply a different Android."

"I hope so," Tien deadpanned.

"Huh?" Krillin said looking up and seeing a aircraft come close to them. "Isn't that Bulma?"

Trunks looked up in horror. "Watch out!" he warned Bulma. "Don't get too close, it's dangerous!"

"I told you the truth when I said you couldn't win!" the android said suddenly. "I'm going to get Seventeen and Eighteen so that they can kill you!"

"Seventeen?!"

"Eighteen?!"

The Android shot a blast towards the group while they questioned what he had just revealed.

They all jumped out of the way but Trunks saw the blast head straight for Bulma.

"Mother!"

The aircraft landed with a crash.

"That...that jerk!" Piccolo said seeing the aftermath.

Trunks jumped to save his mother and his baby self.

"Phew!" Bulma said from the safety of Trunks' arms. "That took me by surprise!"

"Waaahh!" baby Trunks wailed in fright.

"He's gone!" Vegeta said when he looked for the Android and didn't see him anywhere. "Crap! He got away!"

Trunks second meeting with his father Vegeta was quickly becoming the worst experience so far. When his mother Bulma and his baby self were about to be killed by Doctor Gero, his father did nothing to save them even though he was nearby.

"Trunks, I'm so glad you're okay," Bulma said as he reached for her baby and then looked at the young man who helped them. "Thank you, kid."

"Are you okay?" Krillin asked her.

If Trunks hadn't saved them, they certainly would have died. It drove him up the wall. He wanted his father to give him an explanation as to the reason why he hadn't saved Bulma and his child.

Trunks glared at his father while Vegeta was busy fuming.

"Dammit!" Vegeta complained. "I'll find that worthless trash bucket! He's not getting away!"

When Vegeta flew off to find the Android, Trunks stopped him in his tracks.

"Why didn't you save them?" Trunks said angrily. "They are your wife and son?!"

"Don't be stupid," Vegeta answered with a cold smile. "How worthless… I'm not interested in them. Now get out of my way!"

Trunks couldn't help but stare after his father when he pushed past Trunks so that he could look for the Android.

"Say...was that old man an Android?" Bulma question.

"Uh, yes, he was," Krilling told her a bit confused. It was as if Bulma hadn't heard what Future Trunks had said nor what Vegeta had answered.

Bulma instead began to ponder aloud what reason Dr. Gero would've had to turn himself into an android.

"She said that it was Dr. Gero himself!" Krillin shouted towards the others.

"Dr. Gero?" Trunks said confusedly. In the past that he knew, the androids had killed him before they began to run amuck.

Piccolo and the others drew close to Bulma. Vegeta walked up to her asking to verify the android's identity. Bulma continued explaining that she had seen pictures of Dr. Gero and that there was no mistake in his identity. Then mentioned offhandedly that he must've wanted to live forever.

At that point, a fuming Vegeta turned towards Trunks accusing him of lying about the order of events.

Trunks couldn't help but agree that the androids were different from the ones he knew. He then went on to give detailed descriptions of Seventeen and Eighteen. When Piccolo questioned whether they also absorbed energy like the ones they had been fighting, Trunks informed them that the androids had infinite energy. He then questioned Goku's whereabouts and he was informed that Goku had fallen ill to the disease he warned them about and was out of commission.

Trunks quickly realized that the past had various points of difference from the one he knew. The moment that Goku came down with his disease was different, and the androids he knew as Seventeen and Eighteen were not the only ones that had presented themselves before the Z fighters.

Vegeta asked Bulma if she knew where Dr. Gero's laboratory was located. Bulma answered with what she knew the location of the lab was.

"So you plan on beating Dr. Gero there to destroy the androids before he has a chance to activate them?" Piccolo questioned.

"I'd never do something so cowardly!" Vegeta said then smirked. "I just want to take care of them myself since the androids we fought were very boring."

When Trunks heard his father's reply, he couldn't help becoming enraged. He told Vegeta that he shouldn't underestimate the power of the androids. And proceeded to tell him that Piccolo's idea was sound. And if they couldn't avoid their activation, it was best to wait until Goku recovered before they faced the androids.

But Vegeta was quick to retort that he had no need to wait for Goku since he was a Super Saiyan as well. Then he went on saying that even though they were both Super Saiyan he was the stronger of the two since he was a Prince.

"I won't let you get in the way!" Vegeta told Trunks before he made his abrupt exit. He flew off towards Dr. Gero's laboratory.

Trunks was aware that Vegeta left quickly in order to fight the androids, ignoring everyone else's desire to destroy Seventeen and Eighteen before they awakened.

"Since Vegeta can change into a Super Saiyan, he might be stronger than Goku," Piccolo said in resignation. "Perhaps we should leave the androids up to him."

"I can change into a Super Saiyan as well, but I can't defeat them. They're too strong," Trunks said in anger. "I'm going to. I may not like him. But I will not let my father die again!"

Vegeta was an unpleasant person. However, Trunks wouldn't let his father be killed by the androids a second time…

Two contradicting emotions whirled around his head. But Trunks immediately went after his father.

* * *

Trunks couldn't help but think of his father while he went after him. Trunks had yearned for him since he was very young. Vegeta had been his aspiration…the retreating figure that he had always chased after…had been smashed to smithereens.

Trunks heard his mother's voice in his head saying, " _But he also had good things about him. He was very proud, and not the kind of person to show his gentleness, but… I could tell it was there."_

But Trunks knew it was a lie… Vegeta didn't have any good in him! He was rotten to the core!

Trunks had decided that he hated his father.

Trunks then realized that his father had sped up and he did too more out of anger than the spirit of competition. He saw his father look back but all Trunks did was glare and keep up with him.

After some time, they both dropped down in speed and released their Super Saiyan form.

"How long do you intend to follow me? Get lost, you're annoying me," Vegeta said coldly.

However, there was no way Trunks would inform his father of his identity. Feeling impatient, he tried to change his father's mind as if his life depended on it.

"I can't do that… You're underestimating the fearsomeness of Seventeen and Eighteen." Trunks was determined to not let his father die. Tasting the loneliness of losing his father just once was enough.

"Humph…for _pure-blooded Saiyan_ , the stronger their opponent is, the more they want to fight them." That was his father's answer.

It was pointless to try and dissuade him. Trunks should've already known that.

' _A pure-blooded Saiyan…?!'_

His father had actually said that. The stronger the opponent was, the more a _pure-blooded Saiyan_ would want to fight them. Those were the words Vegeta said. So if that was the case, then his father would have to know that he wasn't a pure-blooded Saiyan.

It was then that Trunks realized that his father didn't save his mother because Vegeta knew that… Trunks was his son.

Suddenly they felt a burst of ki.

"Who's ki is that?" Trunks asked aloud. But they didn't have time to ponder the question. They both went towards it in a hurry.

When they arrived at the cave, they saw Piccolo aiming at the door. Vegeta threatened to kill him if he destroyed the androids. But just then, they all heard Dr. Gero's voice as he berated Seventeen for not following orders.

"He's activated the androids!" Krillin said in fear.

"Crap! We're too late," Piccolo said and put his hand down.

"Out of my way, asshole!" Vegeta told him as he aimed to blast the door.

Trunks tried to implore to his father that they should wait until Goku recovered. But Vegeta ignored his words and blasted the door.

When the smoke cleared, the group saw Dr. Gero in the middle of the room with one android standing before him and the other at his back.

"Are you sure those are the androids?" Vegeta said calmly. They appeared pretty normal to him.

"Y-yes," Trunks answered nervously.

Krillin stared at the pair in disbelief and asked again to make certain that they were the pair that Trunks had warned them about. In exasperation, Trunks told them not to be fooled by their appearances because they were horrible monsters.

But the group simply stood at the entrance while they watched the scientist argue with the androids. Dr. Gero wanted them to attack the Z Fighters, but the androids wanted to know more about the android the Z fighters had destroyed. Dr. Gero became frustrated with their questions and told them to attack Goku's allies.

The androids didn't care to listen to the old man and instead looked into another pod where another Android was laying dormant. Dr. Gero tried to convince them not to awaken Sixteen. But the androids were not listening to him.

Krillin suggested that they take the opportunity to leave while the androids were distracted. Vegeta told him to leave and pointed out that the androids were most likely too powerful for Krillin anyway.

The androids and Dr. Gero continued to fight over the activation of Sixteen. When Dr. Gero tried to move in closer to stop Eighteen, Seventeen attacked him and knocked his head clean off.

The head rolled towards Krillin who shook in his spot. Seventeen came up close to Krillin and crouched down to stomp on Dr. Gero's head. He was smiling at Krillin the entire time. When Seventeen stood up, Krillin let out a cry of fright. Seventeen simply turned away from Krillin to inspect Sixteen with Eighteen.

"What are they?" Krillin said in a terrified voice. "They killed their own master."

"That's not so unusual," Vegeta said offhandedly. "You should always kill anyone you don't like. We Saiyan are the same, the unusual ones are you Earthlings."

Trunks couldn't help but think back to what he had done prior to meeting up with the others. Did killing the man who would become president _—_ a person who caused a lot of strife _—_ count as an act a Saiyan would do?

But Trunks didn't have time to dwell on that because he clearly heard Seventeen order Eighteen to activate the android.

"I won't let you!" Trunks said to the Android. "We can't allow there to be any more androids."

Trunks switched to Super Saiyan form and sent a blast towards the pod Sixteen was in.

"You idiot!" Krillin shouted while he jumped out of the blast radius.

When they were all out of the way, Krillin turned to Trunks to admonish him. "If you're going to do something like that, you should give us a warning!"

"You little shit!" Vegeta complained. "Why would you do something that stupid?"

"Stupid?" Trunks said in disbelief.

"You could've damaged the Android," Vegeta said without a care. "Looks like it was just a waste of energy, regardless."

The group could see the androids standing on a cliff with the pod. They proceeded to open it to reveal Sixteen. The newly awakened Android was a lot bigger than the other two. Krillin commented that he looked strong. But Trunks couldn't say since he had never seen it before.

The androids could be seen talking to one another and then they simply flew away in the opposite direction from the Z fighters. The group began to wonder where the androids were heading since they seemed to be going away from the closest city. It was Krillin who came to the realization that they were heading in the direction of Goku's house.

Vegeta took their sudden departure as a personal offense since they didn't care to attack him. He went Super Saiyan and positioned himself to go after them but Trunks got in his way. He told him to wait. Vegeta simply smirked asking if Trunks wanted him to continue to wait for Kakarot. Trunks grew confused since he had no idea who Kakarot was and told Vegeta that it was Goku's fight as well telling him once more that they shouldn't fight without Goku. Vegeta told Trunks that he hated Kakarot more than the androids so he wanted to deal with them himself. Trunks tried to make him understand that if he went on his own he would simply be walking towards his own death because Vegeta wasn't strong enough to defeat them alone.

Vegeta grew impatient of Trunks not moving out of his way and attacked. He landed a solid punch to Trunks' abdomen then took off on his own.

The group waited for Trunks to recover before they went after Vegeta together.

Trunks landed right behind Eighteen when he saw her punch Vegeta hard enough that he made a crater on the side of the cliff.

"Are you okay, Vegeta?" Trunks asked in time to see Vegeta crawl out with a smirk.

"You stupid bastards!" Vegeta said amusedly because they had followed him. "You really believe you can fight these androids?"

Krillin noticed Seventeen head in their direction and warned everyone.

"Run away, Vegeta!" Trunks said desperately. "What good is your pride if you're dead?!"

Is that what it took for his father to concede defeat? A near death experience? Is that what happened that made him leave that recording to him before? The man who spoke to him then seemed to care an awful lot about friendship and family. Maybe Goku's death gave him a new outlook on life. Well, there was no chance for that happening this time around. Trunks had come back not only to save Goku and to give the future a chance but he wouldn't miss the opportunity to save his father as well. Because even though this Vegeta didn't care, Trunks was positive that the Vegeta who left him that recording did. It was just hard to reconcile the two as the same entity. Regardless, Vegeta was his father no matter what age.

Vegeta ignored Trunks' plea and threatened to hit him again if he tried to get in his way again.

Eighteen began to taunt Vegeta but Vegeta wasn't one to be riled up so easily. He went as far as to as to say that he would rather die than accept the help of Earthlings or Namekians or even Kakarot's. That further incensed Trunks because Vegeta was so careless about his own life. This was not the same man _—_ the one who told him to go back to the past and change it. And yet, even that version of Vegeta couldn't back away from a fight he knew he couldn't win. This version was simply too arrogant. And Trunks was at his wit's end. But he didn't have another choice but to watch his father take on Eighteen.

Much to Trunks' surprise, Vegeta was fighting on par with Eighteen. He had no idea his father was that strong. But his awe fizzled away when Piccolo pointed out that Vegeta was growing tired while Eighteen was not. Piccolo said with certainty that Vegeta would not only lose the fight but would die.

And then Trunks saw it.

' _Sh-shit!'_

When it looked like Vegeta was in a terrible predicament, he couldn't help but go Super Saiyan and jump into the fray. It happened so fast that Trunks didn't even see it coming. Eighteen blocked Trunks' sword and Seventeen hit him from behind. Trunks lost consciousness before he even hit the ground.

When Trunks opened his eyes, Seventeen was choking out Tien and Eighteen had Vegeta by the ankle, stopping him from attacking Seventeen.

' _Was Vegeta trying to save Tien?'_

Trunks tried to go after Eighteen but she knocked Vegeta right into him and he fell into darkness once again.

After Trunks was roused, Krillin told everyone that Seventeen asked him to give them all senzu beans and that he wanted them to know that if they got stronger, he would be more than happy to fight them again because it was all a game to him.

Upon hearing Piccolo's speculation about the androids' strength and how insignificant they were compared to the Androids, Vegeta took off in a fit of anger. Trunks wanted to go after him but Piccolo told him not to. He said that it was best to leave Vegeta alone for the time being.

Piccolo seemed to understand what Vegeta was feeling. It was Vegeta's pride that had been hurt.

Krillin apologized for not being any help. But Piccolo told him that it wouldn't have mattered if he had fought with them because not even Trunks in Super Saiyan mode could take them. Tien told Krillin that if the guy who single handily took out Frieza couldn't do anything against the androids, it was due to the androids being that much more powerful. And that it was likely that not even Goku could defeat them. It was then that Trunks informed them that these androids were a lot stronger than the ones from his time.

Downhearted, Tien questioned what they should do next. Piccolo told them that they should start by moving Goku someplace safe. And then mentioned that he had a plan. When Krillin asked what it was saying he would go along with it since they were on the same side, Piccolo became angry and told him that they weren't friends and that he shouldn't forget that. Piccolo was simply using them to get rid of stronger opponents for when he took over the world and that was all. Then Piccolo took off without another word.

Tien told Krillin that Piccolo was saying something they should've already known and that they shouldn't count him as a Z fighter. But Krillin had seen right through the lie and said that Piccolo wanted to be stronger than the rest of them and was just trying to keep his plan of getting stronger to himself. When Tien wondered what that secret was, Krillin told them something he remembered the Great Elder saying. Piccolo was only half of himself, so he must've gone to join with his other half in order to become a Super Namek. Upon hearing that explanation Trunks wondered where his father had gone off to. Tien told him that Vegeta must've gone off to train and wouldn't return until he became strong enough to defeat the androids. Because that was the only thing that would redeem his hurt pride.

* * *

Trunks and Krillin made their way to Goku's house so that they could move him to a safer location. Because one of the goals the androids had was to find Goku and kill him.

Trunks didn't know if the reason that history had changed so much was due to him coming to the past. But, he knew that he would do what he could to fight alongside everyone.

"Say," Krillin said awkwardly. Trunks looked over at him and waited for him to speak. "Mind if I ask you a question?" Trunks nodded. "Are the androids really that bad?"

"Huh?" Trunks said stupidly. He wasn't sure what Krillin was asking. Was he questioning the validity of his words because he had already foretold the future incorrectly? But then he figured that Krillin must be worried about fighting them. "They are incredibly cold-blooded. At least, they are in my age. Why do you ask?"

"N-no reason!" Krillin said nervously and Trunks eyed him curiously. Had something happened between Krillin and the androids while the rest of them were out cold? "Just thinking that if they weren't, it would help out a lot."

"I wouldn't count on it if I were you," Trunks answered easily but he was still studying Krillin with his gaze.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I asked," Krillin said with a blush.

' _Hmm, that's interesting. Did Krillin have a crush on one of the androids? That couldn't be it.'_

"I shouldn't have even thought that," Krillin said with a frown but to Trunks, he looked like he was thinking mighty hard about something.

"Hey, you never know," Trunks found himself saying. "If my father can change, maybe anyone could."

"Y-your father?" Krillin asked nervously. "B-but he's one of the meanest guys I know."

Trunks smiled softly at Krillin and showed him a small voice recorder. He handed Krillin the headphones and as soon as Krillin had them in place, Trunks turned it on.

Trunks watched Krillin's face in amusement seeing the different emotions that played out over his face. When the recording ended, Krillin looked at Trunks in shock.

"That was really Vegeta?" Krillin questioned and Trunks nodded. "I never… No! I'm wrong. When we were in Namek, Vegeta saved us. Gohan and I. More than once. And when he was dying…" Krillin took a deep breath. "He truly believed that to be strong he needed to be heartless and cold. He cried, though, begging Goku to kill Frieza. He said Frieza had to die at that hands of a Saiyan for having enslaved them for so long. I can't believe I forgot about that."

Trunks swallowed hard. He had never heard this about his father before. His father had saved Gohan and Krillin. So it was true, he _was_ trying to save Tien. Even this Vegeta…

His mother had been right about him.

"I guess I don't really understand Vegeta. At first, I was angry at Goku when he didn't let me kill him. Especially since he had killed Tien but Goku was right, without Vegeta…" Krillin let out a shaky breath. "It must've been because of the way he raised. Frieza took him from his father and Vegeta was forced to be a ruthless warrior from a young age just to find out that Frieza had killed his father and all the Saiyans. Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta. The first time Vegeta came to Earth, he wanted Goku to join him. But Goku refused and they fought. Vegeta nearly killed him. If Gohan hadn't… Goku didn't want to kill Vegeta because they were the only two Saiyans left, you know. But to think that Vegeta actually considers Goku a friend. What else must he be hiding deep down under that ruthless shell?"

"Whatever it is, my mother found it."

"Leave it to Bulma to find the goodness in someone. And Goku," Krillin said and shook his head.

Krillin began to laugh and Trunks had to join him. It was ironic that someone like his father who was so cold could have a good heart deep down inside.

' _So maybe, the androids…'_ Trunks shook his head to get rid of the thought before it fully formed. He still didn't know what it was Krillin saw. And maybe only a specific person could draw out the goodness from someone. Just like Goku and Bulma had with his father. Maybe Krillin was the one to show those androids how to be good. Trunks looked at Krillin and couldn't help thinking that if Krillin had survived the first time around…

"We're here," Krillin said and pointed to a house that was surrounded by a forest. There was a river nearby. Trunks smiled. It looked peaceful. So different from where he grew up. "That's Goku's house, come on."

* * *

Krillin had called Bulma when they were on their way to Master Roshi's place. Bulma was happy to hear that everyone was safe and proceeded to tell Trunks that a time machine exactly like the one Trunks had used to arrive had been found abandoned in the forest. Bulma faxed a picture of the time machine to Trunks and he confirmed that it was the very same one. But he mentioned that he had his time machine in his capsule case. He even made certain of the fact. He told Bulma that only one machine was made. Then he asked Bulma for the location and he and Gohan went to inspect the machine to investigate the matter further.

"Was your future really that terrible?" Gohan asked curiously. He wanted to know what it was that made Trunks come to the past from the future.

"Yes...the world's population dropped from seven point four billion that currently exist to a mere tens of thousands," Trunks told him and paused remembering how different it was in this time. "We've managed to survive by hiding in underground bases."

"But that's…" Gohan couldn't find the right words to express his horror. "I hope we can find their weakness."

"Dr. Gero saw their rebellion as his failure. But we forced him to use them and they ended up killing him. He must've known they would turn on him and that was why he didn't turn to them, to begin with. He had to have some sort of failsafe that he wasn't able to get to before they killed him."

Trunks began to wonder if that was why Dr. Gero was an android this time around when he hadn't been in his own age. Dr. Gero wanted to live forever, his mother had guessed. But it was more likely that he wanted to outlive the androids. And for some reason, even he was afraid to awaken Sixteen. Trunks needed more information.

When they arrived at the location they were given, Bulma was just arriving herself. Trunks released his time machine from the capsule and they compared the two. Bulma realized that it was the exact same machine. It even had the same word 'hope!' written on the side exactly like his. Trunks said he wrote the word on the side of the time machine right before he came back the first time. It was his machine, but he couldn't have been the one who left it unattended. He opened it up and went inside to check when the date of departure from the future and the date of arrival in the past.

"The energy gauge is almost at zero but I should still be able to check the dates…" Trunks said turning on the machine. "Age 788…" Trunks looked horrified. "That's three years further into the future than the time I came from."

"Huh?!" Bulma said even more confused than she had been before. Everything was so odd.

"And it arrived...four years ago." Trunks paused to think about that. "That was one year before I came the last time."

"Who could have come back, and why?"

"This is the reason events have changed so much!"

There wasn't anything they could do about what had already happened so they decided to turn the moss covered time machine back into a capsule. They would take it with them so that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands once again. Trunks changed his time machine back into a capsule as well and put them both away.

Something caught Gohan's eye and they went to investigate. They found a dead body and a briefcase.

When they opened up the briefcase, they found some documents from a technological company that had some scientific equations that didn't make much sense but Bulma said that they could be the root of a computer upgrade. There were other documents that Bulma identified as stock and trade for many businesses that had been on the verge of going bankrupt. Bulma only knew that because her mother was friends with a few people that worked in these companies. They had all been taken over recently by a woman who was the daughter of a man that owned a multinational corporation. According to Bulma, it was the same man who had been vying for the presidency.

"The funny thing is that Elephant was killed earlier this morning and election day was moved to a later date," Bulma concluded lost in thought. She had seen her mother getting ready to go to the nearest polling site that very morning but after she watched the news she said that she was heading to the nearest bakery for her favorite treats.

"But why would someone come back to help him just to turn around and kill him?" Gohan questioned.

"I killed him," Trunks said seriously with a deep frown.

Now it all made sense, it wasn't only the androids it was this man and he was the one who financed Dr. Gero. What was he trying to gain by helping out a man who wanted to control the entire world in the palm of his hand?

"What?!" Bulma shrieked. "What do you mean you killed him?"

Trunks pulled out the voice recorder and had both Gohan and Bulma listen to it. They both gaped and looked at him for an explanation when it was over. When Trunks told them that he dug into the history of the current age, he figured out the identity of the man his father had mentioned. According to the recording, Vegeta had understood that the androids had something to do with the person who was elected president.

"Dr. Gero was working for him?" Gohan asked curiously.

"But he was a part of the Red Ribbon Army that was destroyed by Goku. Could it still exist as an underground organization?" Bulma asked skeptically.

"No. Soon after the inauguration, President Elephant Trunk placed an unknown in a high position. A man named Offal Pudding. This man had his Tricolor Army destroy Earth's Military. But I couldn't find Offal. It's almost as if he doesn't exist yet. When I killed Elephant, I made sure that I killed all his supporters as well so that history wouldn't repeat itself. But I don't understand why this information was left behind so carelessly. If this had fallen into the wrong hands..."

"Maybe they were duplicates. This person from the future could have been selling the information to the highest bidder or secretly to more than one. Either way, whoever he double-crossed found out and killed him," Bulma said thinking out loud.

"That actually makes sense. It looks like he was killed while trying to make it back to the ship," Trunks said and began to check the person's pockets. He found an identity card. Trunks remembered this person. "This man had wanted a time machine and offered you a lot of money in the future, mom."

"He did?"

"Yeah, but money is worthless in the future so you threw him out the window," Trunks said with a chuckle. Gohan grinned when Bulma cheered while showing off her muscles. The exact same thing she did in the future. Trunks shook his head. His mother hadn't changed at all. "He must've sat back and waited until he had the opportunity to steal the time machine."

"Then it's a good thing he's dead," Bulma said with a downturned mouth. She hated needless death. "I'm going to look through the documents so that we can make sure everyone involved has been accounted for. You'll all be at the Kame House, right? If I find out anything, I'll call."

"Understood."

"If you have any time, you should come by, Trunks. Grandpa and Grandma would love to see you!" Bulma said with a wave then jumped into her aircraft.

Trunks would love to see them. But he needed to make sure Gohan got back to the Kame House safely.

As soon as they arrived, Krillin told them to hurry inside and check the news. The reporter was saying something about gunfire. There was a lot of people hiding behind a building. In the background, the gunfire was heard as well as a lot of screaming. When the reporter tried to get closer, the channel suddenly turned to static. They changed the station and there was another reporter who was at the station stating that seventy-five thousand people were taken in one fell swoop from the Ginger Town area and mentioned that all reporters on-location had stopped transmitting news.

Trunks decided he would go to that town to get a closer look. He was positive that whatever was going on didn't have anything to do with the androids. It most likely had to do with the person who had come from the future. The man Trunks had killed and his supporters were not the only ones causing strife, and the androids were simply distractions from the bigger problem at hand. Some other monstrosity was at play. And Trunks feared that he had set the events in motion when he killed the man who had fear on his side.

What else had Trunks missed? Could it be...a family member? The daughter had been the one who had taken over the companies that were on those documents. Maybe she had been forced into it by some other power player. The person who had been controlling her father's strings. Of course, how could he have been so stupid? Offal.

"What's going on? What's that ki?" Krillin said in shock when they all stepped outside of the Kame House.

Trunks stretched his senses and felt it as well.

Frieza. King Cold. Goku. Piccolo. Vegeta.

It was impossible. Two of those people were dead. Goku was at the Kame House.

"It's coming from Ginger Town," Krillin said upset.

"I have to see what's going on now!" Trunks told them.

Krillin went with Trunks and while they were on their way, Trunks felt another powerful ki. But Krillin told him it was Piccolo. A Super Namek Piccolo. He had merged with his other half.

' _Did he really have the potential to become this powerful?'_

Right before they arrived, they saw a blast. Someone had launched a powerful attack.

The fight had begun.

* * *

"That's Piccolo!" Krillin said once they had visual of who was fighting. "But who is that other person?!"

Trunks didn't respond. He was in shock at what he was seeing.

They both landed beside Piccolo.

"Is he responsible for killing everyone in Ginger Town?" Krillin asked Piccolo.

"Yes," Piccolo said turning to him slightly. "Stay clear of his weapon. It's what he used to vaporize everyone."

"Why do I feel everyone's ki coming from him?"

"I'll tell you later. I have to take care of him first," Piccolo said matter of factly.

"'Take care of me?' That won't be so easy," the enemy said in an eerily familiar voice.

Trunks took a step back. This man looked like his mentor. And he sounded like him too.

"Gohan?"

"Gohan?!" Krillin said reeling at the name.

"Ha, ha, ha," said the enemy. "The name is Jillion. But I should thank you for the body. You left it behind so carelessly, Trunks."

"Jillion, as in a large number?" Krillin said but Trunks had taken a few steps forward in anger. Piccolo reached out a hand and stopped Trunks from getting too close to the other.

"You stole Gohan's body?!"

"Not me, silly boy. It was Offal. And he brought the body to Dr. Gero with his partner. Although, I'm not sure what happened to his partner," Jillion said with a shrug and then eyed Trunks contemplatively. "Did you know that the only DNA Dr. Gero didn't have was yours? But it makes sense since you didn't exist yet. And with this body…"

"Where is Offal?" Trunks said cutting off his speech.

_Offal was from the future? And he stole Gohan's body after the androids killed him?_

Trunks hadn't had a chance to bury Gohan because he went after the androids. They let him chase them and then simply disappeared. As if it were a game. And Trunks had forgotten all about Gohan's body while trying to come to terms with his death.

"Hmm? Offal? Did you want to kill him too?" Jillion said in amusement. "I was there when you killed Elephant. It was quite a sight. And inspirational. So I killed Offal. It was quite liberating."

Trunks eyes opened wide. "Then why…?" Trunks gestured to Ginger Town. If Offal wasn't the one who was controlling Jillion, why was he killing so many people?

"Why did I take them?" Jillion said as if he were thinking about how to answer. "DNA. The more DNA Dr. Gero's computer has, the stronger I become."

"But we destroyed Dr. Gero's lab," Krillin said suddenly.

"Ah, but not the main computer underneath it. That's where I was brought to life and given the DNA of many. I have a lot of fathers and mothers. I am not one being but a jillion. I was to be the perfect soldier in the Tricolor Army. But why should I follow anyone when I have all the power?"

"You don't have all the power," Piccolo told him and Jillion smirked. "And you have no chance of winning in the current situation you find yourself."

"It does look like I have to retreat," Jillion said with the same smirk playing on his lips.

"I won't let you escape," Piccolo told him.

It was revealed that Jillion knew their techniques besides their names. And when Krillin mentioned Goku, Jillion seemed excited about the news.

Jillion laughed and then shouted, "I'll get my hands on Seventeen and Eighteen so that I can be even stronger! You won't be able to stop me when I attain their power!" Then he lifted his hands to his face and gathered his ki.

"But that's…!"

"Solar Flare!" Jillion said and blinded the trio.

"Damn!" Trunks said looking around once the brightness had dissipated. "We let him get away!"

"Shit!" Piccolo said and fisted his hands. "Wasn't that Tien's technique?"

"The Solar Flare is not hard to do!" Krillin said in irritation. "Even Goku and I can do it!"

"Damn him!" Piccolo said and paced angrily. "He's hidden his ki. I wasn't aware he could do that too!"

Then Piccolo began to rant angrily about having allowed himself to become distracted. He berated himself for not defeating Jillion sooner.

"We can't allow him to take the androids, he might become too powerful!" Piccolo told the others.

They all turned when they spotted Vegeta landing before them.

"Tell me," Vegeta demanded. "What the hell happened here?"

"Tien's on his way," Piccolo said stubbornly. "I'll tell you when he arrives."

Before that...tell me this," Vegeta said with fisted hands as he glared at Piccolo. "Are you really Piccolo? How did you get so strong so fast?"

"It looks like he merged with Kami," Trunks deadpanned.

"Wha…?" Vegeta said surprised. "Merged with Kami? That's it?"

But Piccolo made no move to respond. And Vegeta's anger spiked.

"Uh, Piccolo," Krillin said carefully. "Tien's here."

"Okay, I'll explain everything I know," Piccolo said and began to explain everything Jillian had shared with him. That of having the DNA of Goku, Frieza, King Cold, Vegeta, Piccolo and the others that were retrieved by a robot the size of a bee that belonged to Dr. Gero. Then he proceeded to explain that Jillion was basically a clone of them since he could use their techniques. And to top it off, had a Saiyan body. Gohan's future body. He told Tien and Vegeta the last thing Jillion had mentioned. About wanting to take Seventeen and Eighteen to add on to his power. Piccolo told them they had to stop him before he did so because if he had the two androids, there was no telling how powerful Jillion could become.

"We need to stop him before he can reach the androids," Piccolo said and then added: "I have to kill him while I am still more powerful than him."

Krillin began to discuss the possibility of finding Jillion and killing him. But Trunks told them that it might not be possible since he was able to hide his ki. Tien then said that they had to find a way to keep him and the androids apart. But when Piccolo mentioned that Earth was not the only planet in danger because Jillion had Frieza's DNA within him _—_ and his view of being the most powerful. Vegeta cut in and said that Jillion had his DNA as well. Then he told them that they were wasting time planning anything out. That it was best to allow Jillion to get rid of the androids so that they only had to focus on one fight. Because Vegeta didn't care how strong his opponent was, he would still kill him.

"Don't underestimate him, Vegeta," Piccolo said angrily. "You were barely able to hold you own with the androids. And Jillion is much stronger than them."

"I won't allow you to stand there and fucking badmouth me!" Vegeta said not being able to hold back his rage. "Do you want me to kill you before I kill the androids?"

Piccolo didn't respond. He should've known that Vegeta would react like this. Being taken by the androids was still a sore subject for him as well.

"I'll surpass them! No matter what, I'll surpass them!" Vegeta declared. "I'll even surpass Super Saiyan!"

"You're going to surpass Super Saiyan?" Trunks said surprised. Was that even possible?

"I think Kakarot is going to do it too. In fact, I'm sure of it," Vegeta said confidently and then smirked at the shocked faces of the others. "You bastards can do whatever you want."

Having said that, Vegeta took off.

After Vegeta's declaration, Trunks decided it was best to head over to Dr. Gero's lab to search for the computer and destroy it. If Jillion couldn't use it to fuse his body with the androids' then they could have a chance. Krillin decided to go with him. And then they would go to the Kame House and watch the news to figure out if there were any clues of Jillion's whereabouts. Piccolo and Tien would stay behind and scour the surrounding area, just in case.

* * *

' _To further surpass Super Saiyan.'_

Trunks was shocked by those words. To say the truth, the thought of trying to do anything like that had never crossed his mind.

If Super Saiyan could be surpassed, then even Trunks…

They found the underground lab that housed the computer and a pod where a human could be experimented on. There was a fetus in it and according to the computer, it was a clone of Jillion. Krillin thought it best to destroy it along with everything else. But Trunks found blueprints on Seventeen and decided to take them so that his mother could look them over. She would be the best person to study them and perhaps find a weakness in the androids. Having decided that, they destroyed the pod, the computer, and everything else.

Trunks handed the blueprints over to Krillin and asked him to deliver them to his mother.

"Aren't you coming with me?" Krillin asked a bit confused.

"I want to train with father," Trunks answered. "If he could surpass Super Saiyan then maybe I can as well."

"Sure, but…" Krillin said carefully. "Do you think Vegeta will let you?"

"It won't be easy but I have to try," Trunks said determinedly. "Even father must know that training with a partner helps you improve faster than training on your own."

"Okay, do your best," Krillin told him and they went their separate ways.

* * *

For three days, Trunks stood on a rock staring at his father's back. That view of his back was the only memory he had of his father.

Trunks wanted to catch up to that back. To catch up to Vegeta and face him from the front. It was the same goal he had since he was very young and he still hadn't reached it. But Trunks once again resolved to do just that.

Trunks felt a familiar presence behind him suddenly. When he turned around, Goku was standing there with young Gohan.

"Goku!"

"How's the training going?" Goku asked sincerely.

"It's no good," Trunks said feeling disheartened. "Father says that I can only get in the way."

Trunks turned to look at his father.

"But even though he said that he's only been standing there like that for the past three days."

"I'm impressed with Vegeta," Goku said with real feeling. "I think he's trying to surpass Super Saiyan."

Goku flew to Vegeta's side easily.

"You're bothering me, Kakarot," Vegeta said in annoyance. "Go away."

"Don't talk to me like that. I came here to tell that I know a good place to train," Goku said with a friendly tone. "There's a room at Kami's place where you can train for a year in only one day."

Vegeta turned around to face Goku when he heard that. "Really?"

"Sure. So follow me, it's not like I'm asking you to train with me. "But the room can only hold two people. So you and Trunks will have to go in together."

"Okay," Vegeta said quickly. "But we go in first. Understood?"

"Sure," Goku answered easily with a friendly smile.

* * *

When they arrived at Kami's place, Mr. Popo showed them the way to the Room of Spirit and Time. He mentioned the amenities and that it was well stocked with food.

"Kakarot, why do you want me to train?" Vegeta said as they were walking down a hall. "You're my ultimate goal."

"I don't think I can beat these opponents on my own," Goku said easily. "But I think you've realized that as well."

Vegeta smirked but didn't deny Goku's words. "You might live to regret this."

"This is it," Mr. Popo said while standing beside a door. "Who is going in first?"

"Vegeta and Trunks will go in first," Goku answered for them.

"Thank you," Trunks told Goku. "For allowing us to be the first to train."

"Train hard and get to know each other," Goku answered giving Trunks the incentive he needed to do his best.

Trunks nodded and followed Vegeta into the room.

"It's hot in here," Trunks said once he was inside. "The air's thin too. And the gravity is high as well."

As he walked further in, all Trunks saw was a white expansion. It went on forever.

"Wha…?" Trunks said in shock. "What is this?! There's nothing here! It's just an empty space. And it's huge! That's why Goku could only stand it for one month. I see now..."

"I understand," Vegeta said smugly. "This is perfect."

Even as Trunks spent one year with him in the Room of Spirit and Time, his father completely ignored him. Despite this, Trunks had become conceited in thinking that he had surpassed his father in power. He believed that he could definitely defeat not only Jillion but the androids, who not even his father had been able to beat.

* * *

"Hey, Trunks and Vegeta have come out of the room," Mr. Popo called out to Goku.

"Really?" Goku said hoping it was true.

"Sorry, to keep you waiting," Trunks said in a solemn voice.

"We've been expecting you," Goku said assessing them both with his gaze.

"After two months, Vegeta finally surpassed Super Saiyan," Trunks said explaining the details to Goku because he could see Goku's curious gaze. "But it wasn't until now that he became proficient using it."

"Trunks," Vegeta said in a chastising tone. "Don't waste words on them."

Trunks looked at his father surprised. ' _Did he mean 'them' as in us and them? As in, you're my family and they are not a part of us?'_

"Did it go as planned?" Goku asked Vegeta not even minding what was just said.

"You'll see," Vegeta said with a cocky smirk. "If you go into that room, you'd just be wasting your time. I'll clean up this mess _—_ Jillion and the androids _—_ by myself."

Trunks sensed that Tien and Piccolo were shocked at that bold statement.

"I checked Jillion out myself after he fused with Seventeen," Goku said without pause. "He's become an incredible monster."

Vegeta couldn't exude any more smugness than he already was.

"Hello! Is everyone here?" Bulma called out from the main area.

"It's Bulma!" Gohan said looking in her direction.

Everyone made their way towards her.

"There you are," Bulma said when she saw everyone approaching her.

"Bulma, why'd you come here?" Goku asked in confusion.

"Krillin told me everyone was here, so I came," Bulma said and then she noticed Trunks in the crowd. "Huh?"

Trunks blushed when he saw her staring right at him.

"What the heck?" Bulma said and walked up to him. "Is that you, Trunks?"

"Uh," Trunks answered nervously. "Yeah…"

"Why'd you change your hairstyle? Is that a wig?" she asked while running her hands through his hair.

"Uhh," Trunks stammered unsure of what to say and feeling uncomfortable with her casual touch.

"Oh, you've grown taller too!"

"There's a mystical room here where a year passes in just one day," Trunks began to explain excitedly.

"Really?"

"Father and I were training there."

"But Vegeta's hair hasn't grown at all," Bulma said looking at Vegeta who was looking at her with a prominent frown.

"A pure Saiyans hair, once fully grown, doesn't grow anymore," Vegeta said defensively.

"Oh?" Bulma said surprised about the fact.

"Really?" Goku said amazed. "That must go for me too, right?"

"We shouldn't be standing around talking about things that don't matter!" Vegeta said feeling completely aggravated at being sucked into a casual conversation. "Why the hell did you come here?"

"To bring the battle armor you requested," Bulma said and reached for her capsule case. She didn't seem to notice Vegeta's temper. "It turned out so well that I made one for everyone."

She clicked the top of a capsule and threw it. The smoke cleared and it revealed a large container. Vegeta, Trunks, Goku, and Gohan grabbed a suit each and proceeded to change. Goku mentioned how lightweight it was. Gohan told him that he wore one on Namek and that he was glad to have a new one. When Bulma asked Piccolo if he wanted one. Piccolo adamantly refused because it was the same type of armor Frieza's men wore.

"You shouldn't be so picky," Goku told him. "It's easier to move in than it looks."

"It doesn't matter," Vegeta bit out. "You're not even going to get a chance to fight."

"Because you're going to beat Jillion yourself," Goku said with a playful smirk. "That would be the ideal situation."

Vegeta's smugness was almost tangible. "Are you going?"

"I'll teleport you there," Goku offered.

"Don't be an idiot, I don't need your strength," Vegeta said and took off.

"Why doesn't he accept anyone's help?" Bulma said but it was more to herself.

"Well, I better get going," Trunks said and sighed. His father was a complete jerk.

"Hold on," Goku said and dug into the outfit he had just taken off. He handed Trunks some senzu beans. He then told him not to do anything stupid and added that if things became too dangerous not to be afraid to run away.

Bulma then threw in a "don't die" with confidence that she would see her son again.

Trunks was grateful that she wasn't more emotional. He smiled and waved at them before he went after his father.

* * *

By the time Trunks caught up to his father, Vegeta was in Super Saiyan mode confronting Jillion.

Jillion noticed Trunks right away and told Vegeta that it didn't matter how much help he received, Jillion couldn't be defeated easily.

"He's here to watch," Vegeta told him smugly. "I'm strong enough to take you on my own."

Vegeta and Jillion began talking shit to one another. Jillion saying that Vegeta couldn't beat him. But Vegeta wouldn't be dissuaded so easily. Instead, he decided to show Jillion exactly what he meant.

'Is he going to _change_...' Trunks looked on in shock. '...already?'

Vegeta's ki was growing stronger by the second.

As soon as Vegeta finished powering up, he attacked Jillion. Vegeta seemed to have the upper hand, he even taunted Jillion for not fighting better. Then they came at each other again. Vegeta was tossing Jillion around easily, so Jillion decided to power up as well. But even so, he was still no match for Vegeta.

' _Looks like father is going to win…'_ Trunks thought as he assessed Jillions power.

When Jillion thought it was impossible for Vegeta to be so much stronger than him, he questioned his identity.

"You're Vegeta aren't you?"

"Not exactly…" Vegeta said and smirked. "Now I'm...Super Vegeta!"

Jillion then asked what a Super Vegeta was but Vegeta left it to his imagination. Then he threatened Jillion once again.

"I won't let this happen!" Jillion said angrily and then charged at Vegeta with an attack.

Vegeta easily blocked the attack and went on the offensive. He was ruthless and Jillion barely managed to put some distance between them.

"Now I'll tell you something that will really shock you," Vegeta said excitedly then gestured to Trunks. "That guy there is Trunks. He's not as strong as me but he's really close."

Jillion looked at Trunks with shock. He didn't think that he would come upon anyone stronger than Piccolo and that had been surprising, to say the least. But now Vegeta had surpassed him even after he had fused with Seventeen and he was saying that Trunks, the guy from the future who he knew wasn't anywhere near this powerful had become so in mere days. How was that even possible?

"It looks like this is as strong as you'll get," Vegeta said resigned. "I'm disappointed! I wanted a real strong opponent. It'd be silly of me to kill you now."

Jillion couldn't get over the shock of those words. "Damn it! Damn you!" Jillion said in frustration. "If only I could fuse with Eighteen, then I wouldn't lose to someone like you."

Vegeta then began to question Jillion. And Jillion reiterated how Dr. Gero's computer informed him that he could be a complete form if he fused with the androids. And all he needed was to fuse with Eighteen and he'd be truly powerful. The perfect being. Vegeta attacked him with a kick and the walked up to him calmly. He questioned Jillion again. And when Jillion reassured him of the strength he could achieve, Vegeta smiled in anticipation.

' _Father couldn't possibly be…'_ Trunks was thinking but then put a stop on his thoughts. No, it wasn't possible for his father to be that stupid.

But Jillion caught on and began to persuade Vegeta. He reminded Vegeta that he was a Saiyan who loved to fight strong opponents. Then enticed him with the thought of fighting a perfect being.

Vegeta smirked and gave Jillion permission to seek out Eighteen.

"Dad!" Trunks shouted in disbelief.

"There would be no glory defeating you like this," Vegeta said. He turned his back on Jillion and proceeded to walk away. "I'll be looking forward to next time."

But Trunks wasn't going to abide by his father's rules. He was going to take out Jillion now. There was no point in waiting for him to become stronger. He could possibly become too strong and then there would be no stopping him.

"Even though dad's letting you go, I won't," Trunks said solemnly and jumped in front of Jillion.

"Trunks," Vegeta said admonishing him. "Stay out of this."

"Vegeta, do something about this," Jillion said almost pleading. He wanted to have his chance to get stronger. He didn't want to be taken out of existence like a simple bug. But then from the corner of his eye, he saw movement. And right there, within his reach...was Eighteen.

Trunks followed Jillion's gaze and stared in shock at what he saw. Krillin was out there with the androids. ' _They haven't spotted us!'_

"Hey!" Trunks said desperately calling out to them. "Jillion's here!"

But they didn't move. They only stared at Jillion and Trunks in shock. And then Jillion took off in their direction.

"I won't let you take Eighteen!" Trunks said. He then he changed into a Super Saiyan and rushed after Jillion.

Right as Trunks came up to Jillion, Vegeta kicked Trunks away easily.

Trunks came out of the rubble feeling more angry at his father than he had so far.

"Dad, you're making a mistake!" Trunks shouted at him. "What will you do when he surpasses us?"

"Humph!" Vegeta responded and eyed him critically. "Wimp! Don't you want to see how strong he can get?"

"No!" Trunks said and glared at his father. "I've had enough of a hellish future. Even if I have to beat you, father. I'll stop him from fusing with Eighteen."

"You'd attack me?" Vegeta said in an amused tone. "I don't think you'd dare to attack your own father."

Trunks had had enough. He didn't care if Vegeta acknowledged him as his son. Vegeta was willing to risk everyone's life simply to get a chance to fight a strong opponent. Trunks didn't think about it twice. He sent a blast towards his father. Then he went towards Jillion.

"Solar flare!" Jillion shouted.

"Crap!" Krillin cursed.

"Son of a bitch!" Trunks said and then added: "My eyes!"

"Stop it!" Krillin shouted.

"Eighteen!" Sixteen said desperately.

By the time Trunks had recovered his sight, Eighteen was nowhere in sight.

"Give her back, you monster!" Krillin shouted at Jillion.

But they could all see that it was too late.

' _How did he...?'_ Trunks' mind was reeling. ' _It's impossible! It couldn't have happened so fast! All he had to do was touch her?'_

Jillion began to emit a surge of power.

"At last, he's transforming," Vegeta said as he watched from above. "Don't disappoint me this time."

"Damn you!" Trunks said looking up at his father with so much anger. "We have to finish him NOW!"

Trunks rushed at Jillion but the clone easily fended him off.

"Crap!" Trunks said when he realized that Jillion had finished fusing his power with Eighteen's.

"Are we done yet?" Vegeta asked sarcastically.

When the smoke cleared, the rush of power Jillion had been exuded calmed down significantly. Jillion was looking at his own hands as if he could see the power within himself.

Vegeta began to make light of the situation and hoped that Jillion really had become stronger.

In his anger, Krillin rushed in to attack Jillion. Trunks desperately called out to him to hopefully stop his rash attack. Krillin didn't stop, and none of his attacks were even registering on Jillion. It was as if Krillion was swatting Jillion with a pillow since he wasn't even making a dent. But then Jillion retaliated.

"Krillin!" Trunks shouted and rushed to Krillin's side. He lifted Krillin's head slightly. "Can you eat a senzu bean. Please, eat it."

Krillin struggled to open his mouth but when he did, he swallowed the bean whole.

"Are you proud of defeating trash like that?" Vegeta said coldly. What Jillion had done was pointless. Krillin didn't even measure up to them. "It was just as I had thought. You're nothing special."

"I'm sorry," Jillion said sweetly. "Will you help me warm up?"

"All right," Vegeta said with a smirk. "I'll kill you during the warm up."

Krillin suddenly began to shout. And Trunks smiled happily.

"Thank goodness, Krillin," Trunks told him and helped him up. "I thought you were going to die."

But Krillin wasn't listening. He was staring at Jillion.

"This is really bad!" Krillin said in fear. "Vegeta's going to get killed!"

"What?" Trunks asked him in shock.

"I know I'm nothing compared to you guys but...I can still feel how strong my opponents are. That hit back there was just a slap to him. I know his true power…"

They both looked at Jillion and Vegeta who were facing each other getting ready to battle.

"That ki we're feeling now is just a ruse. He has a lot more strength than that. Just like you, Trunks."

Trunks looked over at him in shock. "You know?"

"Vegeta's too stubborn to realize it, but I knew that you were holding something back from him. You've overcome a limit that Vegeta couldn't. Am I correct?"

Trunks was too shocked for words. But as Vegeta and Jillion began their fight. Trunks confessed to Krillin that Vegeta had surpassed Super Saiyan. Then he added that he had surpassed that. But he said that he didn't want Vegeta to find out because he didn't want to hurt his pride.

"He should've taken Jillion out when he had the chance," Trunks said feeling discontented.

"Fight me as hard as you can!" Vegeta said angrily. "You're pissing me off treating me like this!"

But when Jillion started to fight seriously, Vegeta realized he was outmatched. Jillion was far too strong for him to keep up with nevermind beat.

"Aren't you going to use your hidden power to help him?!" Krillin said in a panic.

"Father would rather die than accept help from Goku or me. That's just the way he is."

Jillion began to taunt Vegeta and pummeled him without mercy.

"What are you doing, Trunks? If you don't help, Vegeta will be killed!" Krillin was saying in disbelief.

"As soon as he's knocked out, I'll help him," Trunks said through gritted teeth. It was killing him not to jump into the fight to save his father from humiliation. But Vegeta wouldn't have it any other way. "That way...he won't know that I'm stronger than him."

"For his sake, I hope he is knocked out before he gets himself killed."

Then they saw Sixteen attempt to attack Jillion from the back. But Jillion sensed Sixteen's intention and told him to back off because Sixteen was no match for him.

Then Vegeta flew up into the air to prepare a very powerful attack.

"Dad!" Trunks called out to him. ' _What is he thinking? He'll destroy the planet.'_

"What's he going to do?" Krillin asked.

Then Vegeta began to taunt Jillion back saying that if he dodged the attack he was just a coward.

"He's challenging Jillion not to dodge the attack," Trunks said in disbelief.

"That isn't funny! Is he really going to use an attack like that on the surface of the Earth?"

Sixteen backed off in a hurry but Jillion didn't move.

"Stop it!" Trunks shouted desperately. "You'll destroy the planet!"

"Get outta here, Trunks!" Krillin told him agitatedly. They needed to move and they needed to move quickly.

"Final Flash!" Vegeta shouted and blasted his attack.

Krillin and Trunks were up in the air. When the smoke cleared, they could see the blast site and that the planet hadn't taken much more damage than what had hit the surface. The full force of the attack hit Jillion then was diverted into space.

"We're alive!" Krillin said in relief.

"Dad did it! At the last second, he made his attack smaller and then forced the tail end of the blast into space."

Jillion lost a significant part of his body —nearly half, including two limbs. Then he began to scream in anguish, making a big deal about losing the fight. Vegeta began to laugh and boast. But then Jillion in all seriousness reminded Vegeta that he had Piccolo's DNA. And right before their eyes, Jillion began to regenerate his missing limbs and the part of his shoulder and abdomen that were missing.

"No way!" Trunks said in disbelief.

"Well then shall I kill you now?" Jillion said to Vegeta with a smirk.

Vegeta cursed and charged at Jillion, The two began their fight anew but Vegeta was outmatched and overpowered. Jillion pummeled him with ease. He hit Vegeta in the spine with an elbow. Vegeta shouted in pain and coughed up some blood before he began to fall down.

"He's no longer a Super Saiyan!" Krillin said in a panic. "He's lost consciousness but he looks dead!"

Jillion heard what Krillin said and scoffed. He told them that Vegeta was alive but that he would put him out of his misery.

Krillin shouted at Trunks in desperation to change into Super Saiyan. Trunks easily agreed. But before he went off to meet Jillion, he offered Krillin a senzu bean. He told Krillin to take Vegeta to the Kame's House and to give Vegeta the senzu bean when the time was right. But Krillin wanted to make sure he had one too. Trunks told him not to worry because he would definitely win.

Trunks landed a ways off from where Jillion was, but he began to close the distance slowly.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"You're too sure of yourself, Trunks," Jillion said with a smirk.

They didn't stop their advance until they were face to face. Jillion was the first to attack. But Trunks easily dodged the kick. Trunks counterattacked but Jillion blocked and hit Trunks with a powerful attack that knocked him down further away from where Vegeta's body was prone. Trunks was trying to take the fight elsewhere to give Krillin time to take Vegeta away.

Once Krillin took Vegeta away, Trunks felt more confident about fighting Jilion. Jillion even pointed out that he would be less distracted now that Vegeta wasn't around. Trunks questioned why Jillion didn't try to stop Krillin. Jillion simply said that he had no interest in Vegeta. All he wanted to do was fight Trunks seeing that he was all that more powerful than Vegeta. But Jillion told Trunks that his strength didn't matter because he still wasn't going to be able to beat Jillion. Trunks, in his own arrogance, didn't listen and powered up even more.

Trunks began to attack, but he quickly realized that all his strength didn't matter. His body had gotten heavy and slow. All he had done was augment his muscle mass instead of increasing his overall strength and speed.

Jillion called him an amateur and showed Trunks that even he could attain that form if he wanted. But then he added that only a fool would want to have brute strength without the actual ability to fight.

Using a transformation that relied on power, Trunks killed his speed. His father Vegeta had understood that and had not dared to use that transformation.

However, being the fool Trunks was he used that transformation and was defeated. Trunks made an unbelievable fool out of himself.

Trunks powered down and said he had lost the will to fight. He told Jillion to kill him instead. Jillion accepted easily but then as he began to ponder on how disappointed he had been in both him and Vegeta, he asked whether or not the two could get stronger with more time. When Trunks refused to answer, Jillion asked what Goku was up to. Trunks told him that he was training to defeat him and that he would show up the following day stronger than ever.

Jillion was ecstatic about the response and offered a ten-day reprieve so that they could train and fight him again. He wanted to face his opponents one-on-one. He didn't care how many people showed up to oppose him so long as he was entertained. He said he'd broadcast the location on TV. But before he left, Trunks asked what his ultimate goal was. But Jillion didn't have one. He simply wanted to test his strength. And, of course, he also wanted to instill fear in people.

The thought of that alone frightened Trunks.

"Just like that," Jillion said with an amused smile before he took off.

Krillin returned with Vegeta to find Trunks standing alone.

"Thank goodness that you're alright!" Krillin said as soon as he landed. "But, what happened to Jillion?"

Trunks explained everything that had happened. But Krillin questioned who in their right mind would challenge Jillion to fight when not even the two of them could take him.

"I'm going back to the Room of Spirit and Time to train some more," Trunks told him.

"I don't need you or Kakarot," Vegeta announced. "One more day in that room and I'll be able to take care of this myself!"

Krillin and Trunks simply looked at him but didn't respond. Vegeta could have taken care of Jillion earlier but he didn't simply because he wasn't strong enough. They doubted that he would kill Jillion if the time presented itself again. Jillion would either be too weak or too strong for Vegeta. It was simple as that.

"Count me in," Sixteen said suddenly. "I want to go too."

"Wha…?" Krillin said surprised.

"Please, take me to Capsule Corp so that they can fix me," Sixteen explained. "I'll be sure to come in handy."

"Don't be silly! You're one of Dr. Gero's androids!"

"It's okay!"

"Krillin!"

"Trunks, don't worry. I don't think he's bad. Not even the other two were that bad. They're different from the ones in your future. Besides, we'll need all the help we can get," Krillin said calmly. "Upsey daisy."

Trunks just looked on in disbelief as he watched Krillin lift the huge Android over his shoulder to carry him off.

"Fools…" Vegeta grumbled.

* * *

The following day, Jillion broadcasted the time and place of the match on TV. He did it simply so that he could instill fear in mankind. He told everyone watching that he was the one who killed everyone in Ginger Town and added that he didn't care to kill anyone else. But that if no one beat him in the competition he was holding, he would kill every human in existence just to see people cower with fear.

"What an asshole!" Trunks said with a raised fist.

Trunks was at Capsule Corp with Bulma, Dr. Briefs, and Vegeta. They had been in the process of debating what to do with Sixteen once they powered him down.

Vegeta was casually resting on a chair but as soon as the announcement was over, he stood and took off his shirt.

"Where are you going, Vegeta?" Bulma asked curiously. "Are you going to train?"

"I'm going to that special room," Vegeta said almost uncaringly. "I don't care what happens to the earthlings but I'll train to overpower him."

"I'll go too!" Trunks announced looking at his father.

"But first, let me cut your hair," Bulma said to stop him from leaving in a hurry. "It must get in your eyes."

"Uh, sure," Trunks said uneasily. "Thank you."

"Bah," Vegeta complained but waited for Trunks all the same.

When they arrived at Kami's Place they found out that Goku and Gohan still had three hours to go before their day was up. Vegeta was beside himself in frustration. Piccolo tried to calm him down by saying that they still had nine days until the reprieve was up. But Vegeta said he would allow everyone to train before him so long as he got the remainder of the days to himself. Piccolo told him that it wasn't possible to use the room for more than two days. Mr. Popo added that if anyone stayed in the room longer than the allowable time, the door would disappear and the person inside would never be able to come out again. Vegeta wasn't too happy about that. But Trunks said they could at the very least use the room one more day.

While they were still talking, Goku and Gohan emerged from the room. Right away Goku sensed everyone's power, including Jillion. Then he asked what had happened while they were training.

Trunks jumped in right away with an explanation of what had happened.

As soon as Goku heard everything, he said he would see Jillion to gauge his strength. He teleported to Jillion and when he returned, he said that Jillion was much too strong and that he didn't think he could beat him. After a brief argument with Vegeta about not being able to handle more training in the Room of Spirit and Time, Goku said simply that he wanted to rest and train normally before he made his leave.

Tien asked if they had been in Super Saiyan form because he wasn't too sure. Piccolo said they were and that they were training to maintain the form naturally. When Trunks questioned the reasoning behind that, Vegeta became upset with him. He explained that if Goku could stay as a Super Saiyan form at all times then when it came time to power up, his weight wouldn't weigh him down.

Then suddenly they all felt Goku increase his ki. It was then that they realized just how powerful Goku had truly become.

"Piccolo, if you're going to use the room to train, hurry up and do it! There are others that are waiting their turn!" Vegeta said angrily.

Twenty hours had passed since Trunks' father Vegeta re-entered the Room of Time and Spirit.

Vegeta would soon emerge again. Being his father, he would probably be brimming with confidence thinking he could defeat Jillion. Even though Trunks already had a one-step lead on Vegeta.

But someday, Trunks would definitely catch up with his father! If his father's ultimate goal was Goku, then his goal was his father!

When Trunks was able to look at his father's face head-on and have Vegeta look back at him, then that would be when Trunks' wish from when he was very young would finally be granted. Even if that has to be on a battleground between father and son…

Without a sound, the door slowly opened.

To Trunks, the future for the current age was already looking that much better. It didn't matter that he would return to the crappy future. He knew he had the training and power needed to rid his own future of the monsters that plague it. And hopefully, any who would emerge thereafter.

For now, even though Vegeta and everyone else was keeping their thoughts about Jillion to themselves, Trunks was sure they could beat him. When Goku returned to Kami's Place the day that Jillion had set, he encouraged everyone not to worry because he knew everything would turn out for the best.

Goku was the first one who fought Jillion. The fight was extremely intense. And there was a point when Goku blasted Jillion with a Kamehameha. Half of Jillion's body was destroyed but, just like with Vegeta's attack, Jillion was able to regenerate his lower half once more. The fighting continued, but Goku had grown too tired. Jillion told him to eat a senzu bean so that they could continue to fight.

Trunks told Krillin to hurry up and give him one. But Krillin didn't move a muscle.

"Krillin! Give him a senzu bean!"

"Shut up, Trunks!" Vegeta berated him. "You have no Saiyan pride. Goku would rather die than win like that. You have to remember that right now, Goku isn't fighting for Earth."

"But then…" Trunks stammered but couldn't finish his thought.

"Yes, he'll most likely be killed."

Trunks didn't know what to say to that.

"He pisses me off but I admire him. I trained as hard as I could but I couldn't surpass Kakarot. He's a genius…" Vegeta looked over to where Jillion was. "But Jillion is more than two steps ahead of Kakarot."

"So what do you expect us to do? Just stand around and watch?!"

"Didn't you say it yourself before. Goku has a plan," Vegeta said looking at his son. "We'll have to rely on that."

But to everyone's surprise, Goku gave up. He then told Jillion that he couldn't beat him but that he knew of someone who could. And he offered up Gohan to step in for him. Even though Krillin and Piccolo, even Vegeta, were against it, Goku didn't change his mind. He said Gohan was the only one who could defeat him.

"Do it, Gohan," Goku said. "Bring back peace to the world."

What happened next was a complete blur of events for Trunks. Gohan had to learn the same way Vegeta had _—_ through the death of a loved one _—_ what true strength really was. Gohan, with the help of the others, including Vegeta, had ultimately defeated Jillion. Trunks didn't get to witnesses the events that led to Jillion's demise because moments after Goku sacrificed his life for the entire planet, Trunks was killed by a random attack from Jillion.

Thanks to Dende, Earth had Dragon Balls once more and Trunks was revived alongside everyone else that was killed by Jillion starting from the events in Ginger Town to the present.

Trunks was grateful that the men he killed would not be revived. Because now that Jillion was gone and the androids were no longer a threat to the world, the peace that Goku envisioned for Earth was now possible. The others were sad that Goku would not be revived, but he said his goodbyes and sounded happy to have been able to protect the planet even though it wasn't his plan to do so.

On his way back to Capsule Corps, Trunks found out through Yamcha that Vegeta had tried to avenge his death. That was something Trunks didn't think that this age's Vegeta would ever do. But as Trunks looked back, Vegeta, in his own way, had tried to instill Saiyan values in him. He taught him to train hard and not to give up. He taught him that a man's pride was important but that it was okay to disregard it at times. He also taught him to cherish his true friends and his family.

Although the reason Trunks had returned to the past was to save Goku so that Earth wouldn't be plagued by the androids as they had in his age, he at least was able to complete half of his mission and he didn't feel like a failure because of it.

Earth's future was looking brighter, not only in the current age but also his own.


End file.
